Written by contributor Arina N
TWs: Abusive relationship
Few things could call to me more than “sapphic romance set in a reimagined pre-colonial Vietnamese fantasy world”. Promising a political/cultural clash enveloped by a romantic exploration of the self, Aliette de Bodard’s latest novella is a short book that goes by in an incandescent flash of fire (yes, I love metaphorical puns and I will make them myself if I have to!).
No matter how much I wanted it to linger, I read it in about an afternoon because I couldn’t keep it down for long; even when I did it slithered into my mind. Every time I put it down, I wanted to, needed to see it to its end.
In this fairytale-esque story, a princess must act as the diplomat representative of Bình Hải, as she navigates the demands of the colonisers who have come to cunningly demand more strategic control of her kingdom’s borders.
Thanh is the perfect appointee for the job; sent to the invading country of Ephteria as a hostage when she was a child, she knows the workings of its court intimately, and more so those of its princess, Eldris. Thanh is as invaluable to the trade talks as she is a shadow in them, shaded by her own self-doubt, a product of the piercing emotional abuse of her mother.
Pitched by the publisher as Howl’s Moving Castle meets The Goblin Emperor, Fireheart Tiger is a story all about reclaiming yourself in the face of more than one type of abuse and colonisation, and about how environment and personhood interconnect. It introduces mythological elements that render fantastical wonder to a story that is already captivating, sharp, and bursting with feeling.
Thanh’s narrative intertwines devious political interests and falsely intimate interests both, hidden behind offered hands. It never ceases to be a deeply intimate journey about finding oneself among the rubble of one’s insecurities and fears, and as such, reclaiming individuality and freedom from more than one type of oppressor. Sometimes that freedom comes quietly and resolutely, and sometimes in order for that freedom to rise, one must burn and start anew.
The author shows us both sides of such transformation, delivering romance, politics, and a tactful analysis of abusive relationships in an instant shot of satisfaction and wonder. In the shortness of its 112 pages, the world is richly built and the relationships between both neighbour and foe craft tension into a story that slowly unravels to subvert all of the reader’s expectations.
In a fantastic use of the craft, Aliette has written a story of both inner and outer conflict, beautifully exploring her character by reflecting her in the setting.
Fireheart Tiger is a heartfelt, vibrant story with lots of magic and betrayal, dealing with abusive relationships, filial piety, and colonisation, even as it bursts with a tender, romantic relationship that unfolds throughout.
Fireheart Tiger is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up Fireheart Tiger? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Award-winning author Aliette de Bodard returns with a powerful romantic fantasy that reads like The Goblin Emperor meets Howl’s Moving Castle in a pre-colonial Vietnamese-esque world.
Fire burns bright and has a long memory….
Quiet, thoughtful princess Thanh was sent away as a hostage to the powerful faraway country of Ephteria as a child. Now she’s returned to her mother’s imperial court, haunted not only by memories of her first romance, but by worrying magical echoes of a fire that devastated Ephteria’s royal palace.
Thanh’s new role as a diplomat places her once again in the path of her first love, the powerful and magnetic Eldris of Ephteria, who knows exactly what she wants: romance from Thanh and much more from Thanh’s home. Eldris won’t take no for an answer, on either front. But the fire that burned down one palace is tempting Thanh with the possibility of making her own dangerous decisions.
Can Thanh find the freedom to shape her country’s fate—and her own?
Great review of a great book!